iPoker Network Review

Launched in 1999 and owned by PlayTech, iPoker is an interesting phenomenon in the iGaming world. While most popular online poker rooms, such as PokerStars, 888poker, and partypoker, function as stand-alone platforms, iPoker has always been a massive network composed of 18 sites, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Our top recommendation goes to Bet365, however, Betfair, William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Titan Poker are viable options as well.

Launched in 1999 and owned by PlayTech, iPoker is an interesting phenomenon in the iGaming world. While most popular online poker rooms, such as PokerStars, 888poker, and partypoker, function as stand-alone platforms, iPoker has always been a massive network composed of 18 sites.

It’s also highly UK-centric. PlayTech is a London-based company. Many of its largest skins, such as Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Betfair, are well-known British bookmakers. Some of these companies have been present on the land-based gambling market since the 1930s, which makes them downright ancient by online gambling standards.

How to sign-up for iPoker

Choosing the right iPoker skin can get very complicated, as you’ll have 21bonus and rakeback offers to compare and judge. Fortunately, signing up for an account on one of those sites is a very straightforward process. All you need is to download the client, complete the registration process, and that’s essentially it. You’re done and ready to make your first deposit.

Just keep in mind that there’s no such thing as a general iPoker account. If you join William Hill, you won’t be able to play on Bet365 or Ladbrokes, unless you register there too.

Please note that country restrictions can differ from one iPoker skin to another. Generally speaking, if you’re living in a European country with soft or no i-gaming regulations, you should be good to go. If you live in the United States, you won’t be able to play on the iPoker network. If you live anywhere else, you should consult the Terms and Conditions section of the skin you’d like to join.

iPoker sign-up bonuses

Every site on iPoker network has its own welcome package. We’ve taken the liberty to describe Bet365’s offer in detail, as it is currently the most popular iPoker skin.

Bet365 bonuses

Bet365’s welcome bonuses are awarded to all players who deposit $5 or more.

Matched deposit bonus

Up to a maximum $100. This bonus is credited in increments of $2.50. This means that if you deposit $51, you’ll receive a $50 bonus. On the other hand, if you transfer $52.50, the site will match your deposit.

Keep in mind that this bonus must be redeemed by accumulating Status Points. Players earn those points at a rate of 10 points per $1 paid in rake or tournament fees. Releasing the first five one-dollar chunks of the bonus requires accumulating 10 SPs per chunk. The remainder of the bonus releases in $2.50 chunks and at a rate of one chunk per 150 SPs.

In terms of rakeback equivalency, the above translates to 100 percent rakeback on the first $5 of the bonus and 16 percent on anything above that. All things considered, the value of this bonus is rather disappointing when compared to that of bonuses offered by PokerStars (28 percent rakeback) or 888poker (20 percent rakeback). It is, however, better than the bonus offered by partypoker (12.5 percent rakeback).

The Welcome Mission must be completed no longer than 28 days after account registration. It carries the following objectives:

Log into your account at least twice

Deposit at least $10 to your poker account

Once you complete the mission, you will receive a tournament ticket package consisting of:

Two tickets for Premium Steps

Five tournament tickets for the $100 Bronze Loyalty Tournaments

One $1 Twister ticket.

In addition to the two bonuses described above, Bet365 will also award you 10 free spins on a slot game of your choice, as long as you access the game from within the poker software.

Other iPoker skins

Below, you will find a list of welcome bonuses offered by other popular iPoker skins:

Betfair: 200% matched deposit bonus up to $100

William Hill: $10 for free and a $100 bonus once you deposit at least $10

Coral: $20 in tokens on your first deposit and 30 days of free tournaments

PaddyPower: 100% matched deposit bonus up to $200 and $20 in tickets and tokens if you deposit $5 or more

Betfred: $10 for free and a $1,200 first deposit bonus

Ladbrokes: 200% matched deposit bonus up to $1,200 and $20 in tokens if you deposit $5 or more

Boyle Poker: 100% matched deposit bonus up to $200 and $25 in tickets and tokens if you deposit $5 or more

Titan Poker: deposit $50, get $100 for free

NetBet: 200% matched deposit bonus up to $1,500

Winner: 250% matched deposit bonus up to $1,500

Everest Poker: 200% matched deposit bonus up to $1,500 and $10 for free in cash and tokens

DafaPoker: 200% matched deposit bonus up to $1,500 and a $8 no-deposit bonus

Expekt: 200% matched deposit bonus up to $1,500 and $10 for free

iPoker traffic overview

Despite the number of sites, iPoker’s total network traffic isn’t all that high. The player pool is about 10 times smaller than that of PokerStars. Many other platforms, such as 888poker, partypoker, and even Winamax,consistently score higher in the traffic rankings.

Fortunately, that doesn’t make iPoker a barren wasteland. There are enough people playing there to keep the tables running 24/7. The network really picks up steam during peak traffic hours too.

Cash traffic

The seven-day average for active cash-game players on the iPoker network usually falls within the 700-800 range. Traffic typically peaks between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, or 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time.

The number of cash-game players increases to 1,300-1,600 around that time. To give these numbers some context, consider that the average number of cash game players during peak traffic hours is about 17,000 on PokerStars, 2,600 on 888poker, and 2,500 on partypoker.

Tournament traffic

Tournament traffic is fairly proportional to the size of the player pool. Low-guarantee daily events usually attract between 50 and 100 players, while major weekly tourneys with affordable buy-ins tend to attract over 500 participants.

For example, the $25,000 Sunday Premium MTT hosted on Jan. 7, 2018 saw 576 contenders competing for a slice of the $31,571.87 prize pool. The winner went home with $6.078.02. The average in-the-money finish was worth $318.91.

iPoker games

iPoker does not provide access to unique or exotic poker variants. It’s all about classic Texas Hold’em and Omaha action. So if you’re a HORSE or Stud enthusiast, read our other poker room reviews. It’s also worth noting that every iPoker skin runs on Playtech’s software, which is battle-hardened and stable on all operating systems.

iPoker cash games

Cash games on iPoker center around low- and medium-stakes play. In fact, whether you choose Omaha or Hold’em, you won’t find any active $50/$100 high-stakes tables.

Hold’em

Stakes range from:

$0.01/$0.02 to $5/$10 for No-Limit Hold’em

$0.01/$0.02 to $3/$6 for Pot-Limit Hold’em

$0.02/$0.04 to $20/$40 for Fixed-Limit Hold’em

Both 6-max and 9-max tables are available. However, there’s no option for heads-up play. Keep in mind that, as is often the case when it comes to medium-sized networks, players tends to congregate around the micro stakes.

Patrons looking for some medium-stakes Hold’em action will have much better luck if the join the poker room during peak traffic hours.

Omaha

When it comes to Omaha, stakes range from $0.02/$0.04 to $20/$40 for standard Pot-Limit and from $0.02/$0.02 to $5/$10 for the Hi-Lo variant.

Only 6-max tables are listed in the lobby, which is understandable since Omaha is significantly less popular than Hold’em. In fact, if you play during off-hours, you might have trouble finding a decent game.

iPoker multi-table tournaments

iPoker isn’t exactly the first network you think of when it comes to tournament play, but its MTT lineup is surprisingly solid. Buy-ins for small, daily tournaments range from $1 to $20. The guaranteed prize pools can go as high as $10,000 , which is quite impressive for a network of this size.

If that wasn’t enough, iPoker gives you plenty of opportunities to qualify for the best-paying events through numerous satellites running all week. Tickets for those satellites are as cheap as $0.50, which means that even budget-minded players will have multiple chances to reach for the big bucks.

Here’s a list of iPoker tournaments that you definitely don’t want to miss:

$10,000 Sunday Premium (daily)

Other poker offerings on iPoker

In addition to cash games and MTTs, iPoker also offers to Sit & Go tournaments and two unorthodox poker variants.

Sit & Go tournaments

iPoker S&Gs are currently all available in Turbo NLHE mode. The site offers both 6-max and 9-max tables. Buy-ins range from $0.10 all the way to $50.

Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo STTs are also listed in the lobby, but they are currently disabled due to low traffic. Please note that you won’t be able to play any heads-up S&Gs on this platform.

Twister

Twister S&Gs are essentially 3-max turbo Sit & Go tournaments. The SNG is winner-take-all. A random draw before the tournament starts determines the amount of the prize. The prize pool can be as high as 1,000 times your buy-in, but keep in mind that most Twister S&Gs play for smaller payouts.

Twister S&G ticket prices range from $1 to $100.

Speed Poker

Speed is iPoker’s take on the fast-fold poker formula. The rules are simple: if you fold your hand at a Speed table, you instantly move to another table from the Speed pool. This means that you never have to wait for the conclusion of the action at your current table in order to start a new hand.

Speed Hold’em always plays at 6-max tables. The stakes range from $0.02/$0.05 to $0.50/$1, however, most of the time only $0.05/$0.10 and $0.10/$0.20 pools are populated by enough players to make this formula work.

The software supports Speed Omaha, but it is disabled due to lack of interest.

iPoker rewards programs

As mentioned above, every site on the iPoker network is a separate entity with its own history, staff, and business practices. Consequently, the differences between their rewards programs can be quite significant. Some of them will shower you with missions and randomized rewards, while others only offer a volume-based tiered rakeback program. The description that you’ll find here applies exclusively to the loyalty program offered by Bet365, which is one of the largest and most popular sites on the iPoker network.

Bet365 Loyalty Club

Bet365’s loyalty program is essentially volume-based, with a few twists included to keep things interesting. Every time you play for real money poker on Bet365, you collect Status Points at a rate of 10 points per $1 paid in fees.

Get enough Status Points and you’ll complete a Loyalty Step, thus earning Bet365 Coins. Players can exchange these for tournament tickets, cash game tickets, and bonus cash at a rate of 10 coins per $1. Once you complete enough Loyalty Steps, you’ll advance to the next Loyalty Level and gain access to more offers in Bet365’s VIP shop.

Please note that if you don’t manage to accumulate the required Status Points in a given month, you will be demoted to a lower Loyalty Level. In addition to the standard grind, Loyalty Club members can also complete Loyalty Missions, which require you to perform certain tasks, such as placing in-the-money in an MTT or winning a hand with a pair of jacks. Once you complete a mission, it will be automatically replaced by a new one.

Moreover, Bet365 players can participate in exclusive tournaments, as long as they pony up enough Bet365 Coins to cover the ticket price.

iPoker deposit/withdrawal options

Most of the popular iPoker skins are operated by large companies that also run their own sportsbooks, online casinos, or both. This means that you’re guaranteed plenty of banking options regardless of the site you choose. However, this also means that listing all available banking methods would be impractical.

What’s more, the site you pick isn’t the only limiting factor, as your area of residence has a considerable impact on the banking methods which are available to you. To find out which specific banking methods are available to you, you’ll need to consult the banking section of your skin’s website.

The only general advice we can offer here is to use e-wallets for poker-related transactions. Operators like Skrill and PayPal are supported by the majority of skins. Withdrawals can also be processed via e-wallets, but only if you have used that same payment channel to deposit in the past.

Example: If you want to withdraw through PayPal, you’ll need to make a deposit using that e-wallet.

iPoker support

As mentioned above, iPoker skins tend to be operated by well-established companies, which means that in most cases, you’ll be able to contact customer service team both by-phone and via e-mail. E-mail response times will vary from site to site, but you’re pretty much guaranteed to receive an answer within 24 hours regardless of the skin you pick.

Most iPoker skins also maintain an extensive Help/FAQ section. The content of those sections isn’t really standardized, but in most cases they are a valuable source of information when it comes to iPoker’s cash games and tournaments, promotions, basic technical issues, banking, and security. This should definitely be your first stop for all inquiries, as chances are high you’ll find a solution right then and there, saving you from having to wait for a support team response.

iPoker promotions

What’s available depends entirely on the skin that you’ve picked. Most skins have between two and three exclusive promotions running at any given time, although some offers seem to be shared between skins from time to time.

A good example of the latter is Twister $12,500 Races, in which players compete for a slice of a $12,500 prize pool by playing as many Twister S&G games available, with 2 points awarded for a win and one point being awarded for a loss.

Conclusion

While it may not seem so at first glance, the iPoker network is a place that guarantees a very solid Texas Hold’em and Omaha experience. On the flip side, the fact that all short-term promotions on the network are spread out across so many different poker rooms can make you feel like you’re constantly missing out. If that doesn’t bother you and you’re not planning on becoming a Stud or HORSE aficionado in the near future, then you should definitely give one of iPoker’s skins a try.

Our top recommendation goes to Bet365, however, Betfair, William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Titan Poker are viable options as well.